“Sirf likna nahi hain” is what the voice over the phone tells me. The voice belongs to Avinash Kharat (@avinash_calligraphy), one of many calligraphers practicing an ancient art form in India. I talked with Avinash before his first international Calligraphy workshop in Kuala Lumpur, where he will impart his wisdom to budding and amateur calligraphers. A common misconception about Calligraphy is that a lot of people think that it is just writing in a fancy and floral way. For Avinash it is a vast yet tragically overlooked ocean. He calls it a free form, with loads of room to experiment. Despite minimal restrictions, Avinash tells me that the art of Calligraphy is a demanding taskmaster. “Calligraphy requires patience, perseverance and...

In 1941, a young storytelling artist made his debut in the comic book world with his contribution to “Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge”, fulfilling his childhood dream. He would then go on to create dozens of new characters, new groups, storylines, and oversee what is probably the biggest revolution Hollywood has ever seen. He went from a guy working behind the desk, to someone whose appearance was greeted with louder cheer than the protagonist of the movie. And when he left the world on 12th November 2018, he had changed the world in a way very few people ever will. Stan Lee was more than just an artist or a writer – he was a dreamer. “I used to...

Inspiration can come from the wildest of ideas, and at the wildest of places. The desire to change your life need not always be something you suddenly decided upon, but maybe something that just gradually happened over time. One thing may lead to another, and soon, you would realize that you have already changed your life without knowing. They say that boredom is the biggest inspiration one can have. And in the case of Nidhi, her boredom led to the birth of Namma Madraskarri (Our Own Madrasan in Tamil), one of its kind shops for jewelry, handicrafts and more. A fashion designing graduate, opening her own company for selling her art was probably one of the last things Nidhi had...

Switching over from one field to another isn’t always easy, especially when you’re doing engineering. Many people give up on what they like and settle for a job they can get, but some have the courage to fight and take a stand in front of the world for themselves. Hand lettering artist Vidya Kumaresan is one of the few who has the guts to follow their dreams despite opposition from their families and society. Vidya’s forte is brush-lettering – which is a crossover between calligraphy and hand lettering. She had no art teachers to teach her this form while growing up and has taught herself everything she knows about brush lettering. Today, not only is she running her own company...

Everyone has heard this story in some form or the other – a young boy moves from his hometown to a big city, with nothing but a bag full of clothes and a heart full of dreams. He then takes on every challenge the world has to offer and comes out on top. This story is shown very frequently in movies and TV shows. However, there are people who have lived such stories in real life as well. Uday Kumar Sangisetti, who moved from Khammam to Hyderabad, also came to the city, with just the belief that the world was his oyster. What he didn’t anticipate was how big he’ll eventually get online, and the fact that he’ll get a...